And interesting story is in the Herald this morning regarding the spending habits of those who download music illegially.
Illegal downloaders spend most on music: study
Brits who illegally download music from the internet also spend more money on music than anyone else, according to a new study.
The survey, published today, found that those who admit illegally downloading music spent an average of 77 pounds ( NZ$176) a year on music –33 pounds more than those who claim that they never download music dishonestly.
The findings suggest that plans by the Secretary of State for Business, Peter Mandelson, to crack down on illegal downloaders by threatening to cut their internet connections with a “three strikes and you’re out” rule could harm the music industry by punishing its core customers.
An estimated seven million UK users download files illegally every year. The record industry’s trade association, the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), believes this copyright infringement will cost the industry 200m pound this year.
The poll, which surveyed 1,000 16- to 50-year-olds with internet access, found that one in 10 people admit to downloading music illegally.
1 in 10 admitting it? I am sure the true figure would be well over 50% if not close to 75-80%.
However, music industry figures insist the figures offer a skewed picture. The poll suggested the Government’s plan to disconnect illegal downloaders if they ignore official warning letters could deter people from internet piracy, with 61 per cent of illegal downloaders surveyed admitting they would be put off downloading music illegally by the threat of having their internet service cut off for a month.
“The people who file-share are the ones who are interested in music,” said Mark Mulligan of Forrester Research. “They use file-sharing as a discovery mechanism. We have a generation of young people who don’t have any concept of music as a paid-for commodity,” he continued. “You need to have it at a price point you won’t notice.”
Exactly.
Personally I never file share music. Every single piece of music I have I have paid for – including 404 songs from iTunes.
However, that is not to say I have broken the copyright laws. By simply listening to a piece of music that you do not own through You Tube is technically downloading and is therefore illegial. And herein lies the challenge. How do you protect an artists copyright and ability to earn a profit from their work at the same time ensuring that work reaches a large enough market to spur enough interest in the work for people to purchase it?
